Monday, May 17, 2010

At the end of last month, we made another journey yet once again to The Pearl of the Orient. A meeting of parents and teachers were scheduled to take place from April 29th to May 1st. We were given a specific time on the 30th.,10.30a.m to be exact.The ustadz who called us at home to arrange the meeting stressed on being on time as they have arranged to meet each and every family separately, with 45 minutes time allocated for each family.

As a stickler for punctuality, I really liked the way they handled it.

And to make it possible, for us who live about 400km away, we have to be there one day earlier. So , off we went, on Thursday morning as Abah had to attend a meeting at USM around 3pm on that day. Adik, as usual, played truant ...( one of the benefits of sending you guys to a private school! ). Right after Asr, we went to Abang's school, bearing calorie-laden supplies in the form of organic pasta with rich bolognese sauce, fresh milk, mango juices and creamy trifles as the dessert. All are Abang's favourite....and as usual, shared with Hassan, Tareeq and Amir.

I brought forks and spoons but Abang said he wanted to stick to sunnah and all his friends agreed. So, they ate spaghetti with their fingers, sauce and all, having second and third helpings.

The next morning , after breakfast , we took off from Vistana and reached the madrassah just in time. Abah could barely squeezed in our car in the compound turned parking area.

That was the first time I saw the madrasah proper, I mean the classrooms, the dorms and the backyards. In the previous visits I just stay put on one of the cute gazebos . Though permissible, I didnt feel comfortable to roam around so many boys however young they are. Now that I have seen it all, oh my, was I impressed!! Spotless classrooms, shining windows, orderly double-deckers with neatly made up beds, not a single pair of shoes/slippers in front of any doors ( everyone will automatically put up theirs on the tall racks nearby) and the best part is, even the laundry hanging up to dry was not haphazardly done as the usual scene in any other school hostels. Yes, I'm aware that the kids have made special effort for that particular day, but I'm sure they wont be able to it excellently if they are not used to it. MasyaAllah, I'm so impressed....(now it makes me sound like a totally clean-freak, which I'm not, okay)

Alhamdulillah, now I fully understand how Abang could quickly and easily fit in . ( I used to wonder and worry, knowing how difficult/ fussy he could be). When Abang was 6 y.o and finally agreed to start attending a playschool, we went around looking up at so many kindergartens before Abang would say yes. I was aiming for the one within a walking distance from our house, but, no, one look at the toilet, he just walked out. The fact that he had spent a couple of months in a playscool in Sydney made things worse. He kept comparing!! A few toilet-inspectings later, he decided on an expensive playschool which distance required me to drive . That was exactly the point where I finally put my driving license to good use after having and keeping it as a decoration in my purse for so many years.

But I digress...

The day progressed to be a day not only I was suitably impressed, but , enlightened as well.

MasyaAllah, I learnt a lot from the ustadz assigned to talk to us.

He brought us to a greater height in understanding the importance of ilm in just a few minutes. Subhanallah! He showed us the way to gain it and to properly put a place for it. He opened our eyes, made us see a new dimension. And he talked with so much passion it brought tears to our eyes. I shed tears for my ignorance, for new revelation, for new understanding and for the almost tangible honesty in the ustadz's words. And all the time, Abang sat and stare at him with such open admiration that I could almost see he absorbed each and every word of his ustadz like a sponge. Subhanallah, it was all so beautiful. It ended with report on Abang's progress and attitudes in classes which are all Alhamdulillah and then Abang recited a surah and the ustadz asked Abah to recite it too. Hemm, nasib baik Abah hafal that particular surah...

We left feeling high-spirited, more determine and full of new resolutions. We are now aiming for the sky. Let us all pray that Abang will not only be a hafeez, but an 'alim too, and not just an ordinary 'alim, but one that reach the status of Imaam Syafi'e of even greater than that.